Endoscopic surgical procedures are routinely performed in order to accomplish various surgical tasks. In such a surgical procedure, small incisions or portals are made in the patient. An endoscope, which is a device that allows medical personnel to view the surgical site, is inserted in one of the portals. Surgical instruments used to perform other tasks are inserted into other portals. The surgeon views the surgical site through the endoscope to determine how to manipulate the surgical instruments in order to accomplish the desired procedure. An advantage of performing endoscopic surgery is that, since the portions of the body that are cut open are minimized, the portions of the body that need to heal after the surgery are likewise reduced. Moreover, during an endoscopic surgical procedure, only relatively small portions of the patient's internal organs and tissue are exposed to the open environment. This minimal opening of the patient's body lessens the extent to which a patient's organs and tissue are open to infection.
The ability to perform endoscopic surgery is enhanced by the development of powered surgical tools especially designed to perform such procedures. Once such tool is sold by the Assignee hereof under the trademark FORMULA®. This tool is in the form of a cylindrical handpiece designed to be held in the hand of the surgeon. The handpiece has a front or distal end provided with a coupling assembly for releasably holding a cutting tool or instrument, and a motor disposed within a handpiece housing. Such cutting tools include mechanical cutting instruments in the form of shavers and burrs. These tools include an outer cannula having a proximal end which is fixed to a hub, and a drive shaft disposed within and movable relative to the outer cannula. The tool hub is appropriately configured to cooperate with the coupling assembly of the handpiece to lock the tool thereto. When the selected tool is attached to the handpiece, the handpiece motor couples to the drive shaft of the tool. The handpiece motor is selectively actuable to drive the tool drive shaft so as to cause a desired cutting action at the distal end of the tool. The handpiece is associated with a control unit which controls the functioning thereof, and is actuated by the user via appropriate buttons provided on the handpiece itself, or alternatively directly at the control unit.
In an endoscopic surgical procedure, irrigating fluid is introduced into the surgical site. This fluid serves as a transport media for removing tissue and debris from the surgical site. In order to remove the irrigating fluid and the material contained therein, the above handpiece and the various tools which are usable therewith together define a suction conduit. A suction pump is connected to the handpiece to provide the suction force needed for drawing the fluid and material away from the surgical site. In order to control the suction flow through the tool and the handpiece, the handpiece is provided with a manually operated valve. Thus, the surgeon is able to manipulate the surgical tool and control suction of material away from the surgical site.
Tools other than the handpiece and the associated cutting tools described above may be used during a surgical procedure. One such tool is an electrosurgical probe or radio-frequency (RF) probe. This probe utilizes electrical energy to treat patient tissue in various ways. For example, electrocauterization is utilized to seal off and close blood vessels during surgery to prevent blood loss. In addition, ablation is utilized to vaporize or remove tissue using electrical energy. Electrosurgical probes are typically designed to perform both of these functions, depending upon the level of power supplied thereto. Further, monopolar and bipolar electrosurgical tools are conventional wherein monopolar tools direct electric current from an active electrode defined on the tool through the patient's body to a return electrode, which return electrode is typically defined by a grounding pad attached to the patient. Bipolar tools, on the other hand, include both an active and return electrode, wherein the current is directed from the active electrode to the return electrode through the contacted tissue. Such electrosurgical tools are controlled through a console or control unit which delivers appropriate power levels to the tool to perform the desired procedure on the patient.
Another type of surgical tool is one which combines the mechanical cutting action of a shaver or burr and the electrosurgical treatment of tissue via an electrode. This tool typically incorporates a movable blade which is actuated for mechanical cutting, as well as either a monopolar or bipolar electrode arrangement at the distal end of the tool. This combination-type tool thus eliminates the user having to handle two separate tools, one for electrosurgical procedures and another for cutting procedures.
While the above-described handpiece arrangement and various tools have proven useful, same can require the purchase of wholly separate systems, each having its own control unit, which can result in greater costs and a greater number of surgical tools which must be present in order to carry out the desired procedure. Operation of these separate tools can also be taxing on the surgeon or surgical staff.
In order to obviate or at least minimize the above disadvantages of known arrangements, the surgical tool arrangement according to the invention provides a handpiece which is usable with a variety of types of surgical instruments which are all adapted for use with the handpiece, meaning that one handpiece is usable for a multitude of surgical procedures.
Specifically, the handpiece according to the invention incorporates a coupling member located at a distal end thereof which serves to attach the desired surgical tool to the handpiece, and also provides an electrical contact arrangement to effectively support the functioning of an electrosurgical probe as well as a combined mechanical cutting and electrosurgical tool. Additionally, the handpiece is capable of accepting a conventional cutter or shaver which simply requires power for driving its movable cutting element.
The handpiece according to the invention additionally incorporates therein a locking arrangement including a release lever mounted on the distal end of the handpiece. The locking arrangement is configured such that no manipulation thereof is necessary to allow attachment and locking of the surgical tool to the handpiece. The release lever is movable to a release position to unlock the surgical tool and allow removal of same from the handpiece.
Certain terminology will be used in the following description for convenience in reference only, and will not be limiting. For example, the words “upwardly”, “downwardly”, “rightwardly” and “leftwardly” will refer to directions in the drawings to which reference is made. The words “inwardly” and “outwardly” will refer to directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometric center of the arrangement and designated parts thereof. The words “forwardly” and “distally” will refer to the direction toward the end of the arrangement which is closest to the patient, and the words “rearwardly” and “proximally” will refer to the direction toward the end of the arrangement which is furthest from the patient. Said terminology will include the words specifically mentioned, derivatives thereof, and words of similar import.